The Madden NFL 13 Soundtrack Is a Massive Fail

Hear that buzz in the air? No, not the whirring noise coming from your trees. I'm talking about the electricity caused by the click-clack of cleats; the smell of freshly cut grass and iron-tinged blood. Ah, yes -- football season is almost here.

Which also means Madden NFL 13 is upon us. The popular football video game hit shelves on Tuesday, September 4, with crazy cool graphics and wickedly realistic gameplay, but gamers are likely to notice one key staple missing from the franchise once they fire up their gaming systems: a great soundtrack.

For years, fans have been able to rely on two things from the annual EA Sports release. First, that whoever was unfortunate enough to be chosen to grace the game's cover would undoubtedly be struck with the Madden Curse, and second, that tunes from their favorite rappers, alternative rockers, and metalheads would be on tap for the experience.

"Also new for Madden NFL 13 is a scored soundtrack. EA Trax have been replaced with a new playlist of composed pieces for each of our new game modes," Audio Producer Matt Bialosuknia says on the company's website. "Audio is such a huge part of the gaming experience and we've blown it out."

You got that right Matt. Blown. It. Out.

Last year's soundtrack included songs from acts like Rise Against, A Tribe Called Quest and Five Finger Death Punch. Hearing songs like "Sugar" by System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine's "Guerilla Radio," and Pantera's "Walk" were so much a part of Madden NFL 10, that it's hard to imagine engineering a fourth quarter comeback in the playoffs without them.

I have just about all of the composed music I need in my football thanks to CBS, ABC, NBC, ESPN, and even FOX.